In this seminar, Dr. Meir Elran, director of the Homeland Security Program at the Institute of National Security Studies in Israel and a retired Brigadier General in the Israel Defense Forces, made the case that Israel and other countries should shift from a strategy of resistance to terrorism (i.e., trying to prevent every single attack – an impossible task, he argued) to one that more heavily emphasizes societal resilience. Elran explored how various factors, including local and national leadership and public trust, affect and complicate efforts to promote, develop, and sustain resilient societies that experience an especially high level of terrorist attacks, as is the case in Israel.

Organized by the Program on Crisis Leadership and co-sponsored by the Homeland Security Project (Belfer Center), the Crisis Management Professional Interest Council, and the International Security Professional Interest Council, all at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Drawing from research they have conducted on the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, the multi-site Paris attacks in November 2015, and similar events in other cities over the past several years, PCL Faculty Co-Directors Arnold Howitt and Dutch Leonard discussed how urban centers can prepare for and respond to acts of terror.

The Crisis Management PIC at Harvard Kennedy School welcomed Brian Mazmanian, Associate Director of Emergency Management at Harvard University, to speak about his work on emergency preparedness at Harvard and how the University responds to crises big and small. An informal coffee chat and Q & A followed.

Organized by the Crisis Management PIC at Harvard Kennedy School and the Program on Crisis Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School